Team LARK
by BlackBlueEyes
Summary: Beacon. A shining light to many including four beaten and bruised souls. Two siblings who only trust each other, a girl afraid of herself, and a boy afraid of being what he always is, alone. These four souls were bound by fate to come together and form a team. Only time will tell if they will teach each other to show their light or will help plunge Remnant into darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**Aiko's POV**

"Aiko, Yoshio, the aircrafts are starting to arrive."

I look up from my book to glance at the gray-haired man sitting across the desk. His brown eyes flicker up from the scroll in front of him and gives me a warm smile. "I suggest that you two should go down and mingle with your fellow students."

"Why?" Yoshio asks from where he sits by the window. "Initiation doesn't start till tomorrow."

"Yes, but starting today, both of you are first-year students of Beacon and will be receiving the same treatment as other first-years," Ozpin replies, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

I turn in my chair to look at the blond women standing next to the desk. "Does this mean we have to call you Professor Goodwitch now?"

Glynda tsks and crosses her arms. "I still don't remember giving you permission to call me anything else."

Ozpin laughs while I crack a smile; even Yoshio's mix-match eyes flicker to us for a second before returning to the sky. Still smiling, I stuff my book into the bag by my feet and rise from the chair. Without me saying a word, Yoshio rises from his seat with a sigh and slings his own bag over his shoulder. Together we head to the door.

"See you in an hour."

* * *

 **Leo's POV**

I rush off the aircraft as it lands, barely holding in a squeal. My golden eyes shine in excitement as I look around, my tail twitching behind me. I'm finally here! At Beacon! One step closer to being a true Huntress! Failing to contain my glee, I rush forward to explore my new surroundings.

Before I can even take a full step, I get yanked violently back. I let out a yelp as I fall backwards. Trying to rub the pain from my backside, I look up at my assailant. A girl with long hair held back in a braid was leering down at me with cold dark brown eyes.

"You could at least wait for us before you start running around," my sister admonishes, flipping her blue hair behind her shoulder.

A higher pitch voice rings out behind us. "Yeah, you're not the only one excited, Leo."

Smiling sheepishly up at my near identical sisters, I rub the back of my neck. "Sorry Ursa, Minnie. It's just that we're finally _here!_ "

Ursa rolls her eyes but offers a hand to help me up. "Yeesh. And here I am thinking you were the older one."

"I am," I say, huffing. "I'm a whole year older than you and Minnie."

By this time, Minnie took the lead and hearing this she looks back at me with a mischievous look in her eyes. Smirking, she says, "Well if you keep acting this way then everyone will think you're younger than Lepus."

My eyes widen at the sound of our youngest sibling's name. I lunge at her, wrapping an arm around her neck and rubbing my fist into the top of her head. "You better take that back!" I order playfully.

"Ow, ow, _ow!_ Fine! You win!"

I laugh as I let her go. Grumbling, Minnie fixes her short hair as her white bear ears continue to twitch in annoyance. Ursa rolls her eyes at us and takes lead. We lap into a comfortable silence as we walk to the auditorium, the three of us looking around with curiosity and excitement.

The silence is broken by a loud explosion. Eyes widening, I spin around to face the source of the commotion. Instead of finding anything threatening, all I see is a girl dressed in white yelling at a shorter girl dressed in red. Taking a second look at the white-haired girl, I feel my lip twitch up into a snarl.

Feeling hands clasp my arm, I turn to see Minnie looking at the scene worriedly. Ursa stands next to me, crossing her arms, and asks, "Isn't that the youngest Schnee?"

Again, I force down a growl as I nod my head. The Schnees were the biggest dust distributor in the four kingdoms. They also had very questionable business deals and had a large Faunas labor force.

"Maybe we should intervene," Minnie suggests. I look back at her before looking at the scene again. The red-dressed girl did look like she was getting quite an earful from the young heiress. Before I can say anything, Ursa answers.

"No, we're here to learn, not make enemies, especially not on the first day." I look at her angrily when she pauses but before I can protest, she continues, "Anyways, someone else got it."

She was right. A girl with a black bow on her head approached the arguing duo. Still not happy, I watch the scene carefully as the newcomer says a couple words. Before long, the young Schnee stormed off. A few seconds later, bow-girl leaves too.

With all the drama done, I plaster an excited smile on my face and twine my arms through my sisters'. "Come on we can't be late to orientation!"

* * *

 **Rogue's POV**

It's been four minutes since I got here and I'm already lost!

I growl and look around. No one was there. Closing my eyes, I let out a piercing whistle. There! At least two people were walking somewhere in front of me. Desperate to not be alone, I sprint down the path towards them.

There they were! A short girl with a red cape was walking next to a taller blonde guy that was wearing a black sweatshirt with silver armor over it. Relief fills me as I yell out to them. "Hey! You two! Wait up!"

The two of them turn around and stare at me in confusion as I jog up to them. Now that I was closer to them, I could see that Red looked a couple years younger than me. Giving them a little wave, I flash them a smile. "You don't know how glad I am to run into you two. I took three steps off the aircraft and I was already lost. Do either of you happen to know where orientation is?"

"Uh…we were kind of wondering that ourselves," Red answers sheepishly.

"Really?" I groan, throwing my head back.

The blonde gives me an apologetic smile. "Sorry man."

"It's fine," I sigh. Squinting at them I ask, "Do you mind if I walk with you guys then? Being alone sucks."

"Sure! The more the merrier," Red exclaims gleefully. "I'm Ruby by the way."

"Jaune."

"Friends call me Rogue," I introduce as we start walking again.

We talk a little bit as we walk. Apparently Ruby was moved ahead two years by recommendation of Professor Ozpin and had an older sister going here as well. She was also very proud of her sweetheart, Crescent Rose. Jaune, on the other hand, had a very… _classic…_ sword that was originally his great-grandfather's and a collapsible shield. I showed them my gauntlets with their retractable claw feature and my boots that could fire dust rounds.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Jaune asks cautiously.

As we were talking, I was letting out shrill whistles every so often, to the confusion of the other two. Rubbing the back of my neck, I explain, "I was trying to see if I could locate other people."

"By whistling?" Ruby asks, confused.

"Yep. I'm a bat faunas." I smile wide and point at my sharp teeth. "Whistling's my form of echolocation."

Ruby's silver eyes shine in excitement as she looks up to me. "That must be really helpful when you're trying to find Grimm."

"Yeah," I confirm. "It's a pain though if I'm lost in a wide-open space or trying to avoid a pack of Baewolves or dogs."

"Really? Why?" Jaune asks confused.

"My whistles are at a higher frequency that canines can pick up easier." I explain while I try to blow a strip of black hair out of my face. It was curious to me that they were more excited about the uses of echolocation then jumping on the fact that I was a Faunas. Actually, it was kind of refreshing.

"I'm guessing that we're still not anywhere near orientation," Ruby groans.

I shrug and let out another whistle. Surprisingly, it actually bounced off something that wasn't stationary. I state my observation to my companions.

"Let's go!" Jaune shouts gleefully and with that, we race down the path. As we turn the corner, I barely avoid colliding with someone. Or at least I did until Jaune rams into me from behind.

Groaning, I open my eyes. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I realize my position. I scramble backwards trying to give the girl I just crushed enough room to get up when she lets out a small groan of her own. Sitting up, she rubs her head directing my attention to the silver fox ears perched there. Lilac eyes open and glare at me as a raven-haired boy bends down next to her.

"You good?" He asks the silver haired girl. She gives him a short nod while she picks herself up and smooths down her short kimono.

"I'm fine, Yoshio," she answers verbally. Again, her eyes flicker to me to give me a glare.

Scrambling to my feet, I rush to apologize. "S-sorry! Are you okay? I really didn't mean to run you over like that. I'm _so_ sorry!"

She sighs as I continue to ramble. "It's fine. Just be more careful next time. Where were you rushing to anyways?"

"We were actually trying to find orientation," Ruby answers. "You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?"

"It's that way," the raven replies in monotone, pointing in the direction we just came in. I groan in disbelief. We were walking _away_ from it! _Great, by the time we get_

 _there it will be over_.

"Don't worry, orientation doesn't start until another ten minutes," the girl comments, making me jump. I was pretty sure I didn't say that out loud. "Do you want us to show you were it is?"

"That would be great! Especially if you walk next to me, Snowflake," Jaune flirts, fluttering his eyes at the girl. Her eye twitches while her companion sends him a glare that could stop an Ursa in its tracks. I cover my eyes in embarrassment while Ruby tries to stifle a giggle.

The girl looked ready to turn around and leave but she just lets out a big sigh and starts walking, completely ignoring the blonde. "Come on."

Ruby was nearly jumping up and down in joy as she rushes to catch with her. I hang back a bit and put a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Maybe next time buddy."

"I'm Ruby and that's Rogue and Jaune," Ruby tells the duo cheerfully.

The guy just gives her a side glance while his companion gave a more talkative answer. "Nice to meet you. I'm Aiko and this antisocial ball of sunshine next to me is Yoshio."

"I'm not antisocial," the newly named Yoshio corrects. "Talking with other people is just a waste of energy."

"And that wasn't an antisocial answer at all," Aiko deadpans. He just shrugs his shoulders in response.

"So how do you two know each other?" I ask cautiously, trying to break the awkward silence that was threatening to suffocate me.

"We're siblings by adoption," she answers. Turning her head to look at me, she questions, "Why do you ask?"

I feel another blush creep up my neck as she stares at me. Looking away, I rub the back of my neck awkwardly. "Just was wondering."

She lets out a small hum but faces forward again. Ruby asks some more questions which Aiko would answer politely while Yoshio would totally ignore them. After a couple more failed tries to start a conversation, a disheartened Ruby falls back to walk on the other side of Jaune. We descend into silence for the rest of the short walk.

"We're here," Aiko announces as she leads us into a hall already filled with students.

A busty blonde calls out to Ruby and she quickly excuses herself before racing to her. I turn to thank our guides but the monochromatic duo had already disappeared. Sighing, I turn to Jaune and give him a small smile.

"Looks like it's just you and me."

* * *

 **Yoshio's POV**

I stare out the window at the shattered moon, trying to ignore the other students around me. God, they were so annoying. And they were doing nothing to help my nerves. Huffing, I pull my knees closer to my chest.

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Aiko asks as she plops down next to me.

Turning my head, I could see that she changed from her usual outfit into a pair of sweatpants and a cobalt blue tank top. I let out a small tsk and turn back to the window. I can feel Aiko silently shake in laughter next to me.

She slowly calms down and leans against my side a little. Without looking, I could tell that she was looking at me worriedly. The heat emitting from her suddenly disappears only to come back a couple seconds later as something hard lands in my lap. Confused, I glance down to see that Aiko dropped a plate of cookies on my lap. I feel myself start to be filled with childish glee at the sight by I keep my face neutral as I reach for one of the small goodies.

"You know, it's almost impossible for us not be partners," Aiko states, resting her chin on top of her hands as she looks out the window. I let out a small tsk and quickly look away. Just like her to address my small, stupid worries. Well maybe not _small_ but still.

"Aren't you at all worried that we might not end up together?" I quietly ask. We haven't been apart from each other for more than a couple minutes at a time for at least the last twelve years. The possibility that we could not be on the same team was enough to make me feel like I might vomit.

Aiko tilts her head before shutting her eyes. A big grin spreads across her face as she answers. "Nope. Why should I? Both of us know what's going to happen tomorrow and I'll just follow you wherever you land so there's no worry about making eye contact with someone else. The only thing I really need to know is whether if I'm catching you or if you're just going to use your 'landing' strategy?"

I stare at her for a couple seconds as I let a smile cross my face before I erase it again. Shrugging my shoulders, I reply, "I'll land by myself."

"Got it," Aiko nods. "So the plan is to make a bunch of noise that will attract Grimm, kill them, and then retrieve the relic. And all before lunch!" She continues sarcastically. I stick my tongue out at her and chuck a cookie at her head which she catches and starts to nibble. Snatching up her blanket, she starts to lay down. "Better go to sleep soon. Want to be well rested for tomorrow."

We exchange goodnights and soon she is deep asleep. I stare at her for a couple seconds before closing my eyes as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Leo's POV**

The wind plays with my hair as I stand on a cliff with the other initiates. Next to me, Minnie fidgets nervously while Ursa straps her axe onto her back. The Headmaster and Professor Goodwitch explain our task and the assignment of partners in front of us.

"So, it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you could work well." Ozpin pauses as he takes a sip from his coffee cup. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

My eyes widen at his statement. Well, that was interesting. Besides me, the twins exchange worried glances while a girl down the line with red highlights seemed to be having a small breakdown. I just shrug and decide not to worry about it. _Whatever happens, happens._

"After you partner up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You'll meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die." Ozpin continues. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path that contains several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You'll guard that item, as well as your standing, and be graded appropriately. Are there any questions?"

The last guy in line raises his hand. "Good, now take your positions."

My ears twitch as a deep rumbling fills the air as the first person gets launched into the air. Sinking into an easy stance, I pull out my staff and fully extend it. I send one last grin to my sisters right before I'm flung into the sky.

Letting out a whoop, I press my arms to my side to help myself get further. As the trees start to get closer, I spread out to help slow myself before flipping so I was facing the sky. Pressing the emblem near the top, the large blade goes flying with a large chain following it. It wraps itself around a tree branch and my body jolts as my momentum suddenly changes directions. I swing a couple times before landing on the branch. Retracting the chain and the blade, I survey my surroundings.

It seemed that my landing didn't attract any Grimm and I couldn't see any other initiates close to me. Jumping down, I start to head north.

While I walk, I keep feeling eyes on me every so often and it felt like a dark aura was emitting from the trees themselves. Pressing another button on my staff, it starts folding itself into its rifle form. A Baewolf jumps out of the bushes just as I fire. It stumbles from the impact of the shot but shakes itself and attacks again. Expanding my staff again, I dodge and deliver a slice to its side. It lets out a howl and my ears twitch as I hear its companions rush out of the undergrowth.

Ducking to avoid getting my head bit off, I slice the belly of the Baewolf open before spinning and cutting the throat of another. I swing my staff onto my shoulder to shoot the one coming up from behind. A particularly big one lunges at me, forcing me to jump and roll out of the way. I scramble to my feet before lashing out with the small blade protruding from the bottom of my staff. It pierces the Grimm's eye and it lets out a howl of pain. Using my Aura, I force it through its head, killing it.

Prying my weapon loose, I spin around to see a Baewolf that was trying to attack me from behind collapse to the floor. Golden eyes widen as they make eye contact with red ones. Not exactly sure what to do, I just nod at him before I charge another Grimm.

Finally, I stand panting in the middle of a bunch of Grimm corpses, looking at my partner. He was tall but was more lean than muscular. Red hair framed his face while his bangs were an odd strip of black. Elfish ears with multiple piercings were sticking out from his messy hair. He was wearing a black jacket over an orange shirt with a cowl neck. A wide smile adorned his face, showing me his sharp teeth.

He strides toward me, forcing me to crane my neck to look at his face and setting off a wisp of annoyance in me. Shaking my head, I focus on the hand he was holding out. He already sheathed the three claw-like blades that protruded from his gauntlets so I grab his hand.

"Nice to meet you partner! My name's Rogue," he introduced brightly, smile not faltering even as he shakes his hand after he retracts it from my grip. As he spoke, I noticed that he had a Mistralian accent.

Giving him a small smile of my own, I reply, "I'm Leo. Thanks for the save back there, by the way."

His eyes light up in happiness as I talk and I swear his grin grew even larger than it was before. "No problem! Always willing to help. And it seems like we have to look after each other's backs for a little while anyway."

"Yep," I say, popping the 'p'. Collapsing my staff, I strap it back on my back and look at the sky. "We should probably start walking if we want to get to the temple anytime soon."

"Wha-? Oh, yeah! Sure!" Rogue babbles. He blushes and starts twisting one of his earrings. "Do you happen to know which direction it is? My directional sense kind of sucks…."

I stare at him dumbfounded for a second before shaking my head. Not everyone has to learn how to survive like the citizens of Vacou do. Chuckling, I clasp him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, just follow me and we'll get there before you can say 'Remnant'."

"Great!" He laughs as we start heading north. We both keep an eye out as we walk for any sign of Grimm but we start making small talk as we walk. It seems like neither of us could keep quiet for too long.

"Are you a cat Faunas?" Rogue questions, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"A lion Faunas, actually," I huff, resisting the urge to cross my arms.

He perks up at that. "So, you're a lion and named Leo, just like the lion constellation. Please tell me that wasn't just a strong coincidence."

I shake my head and explain, "No it's a tradition in my family to be named after celestial bodies. My younger sisters that are also going her are twin bear Faunae named Ursa Major and Ursa Minor." My eyes flicker to him as I say, "Most people don't make that connection though. I'm impressed."

"Didn't have much to do back home so I picked up on some odds things," Rogue answers, shrugging. Something sad flickered on his face for a second before disappearing just as fast.

I open my mouth something but he raises a hand to stop me. Eyes scrunched up in concentration, he asks, "Did you hear that?" Shaking my head, I grab my weapon and get into a fighting stance. Rogue lets a whistle that has me cringing. After a couple seconds, he visibly relaxes and turns back to me. "There's no Grimm around. I just think it's a some more people."

Letting my arms drop to my side, I eye him suspiciously. "How do you know? And what was with that whistle!?"

"I'm a bat faunas," he answers, grinning. "Excellent hearing combined and a high pitch noise lets me use echolocation to get a feel of my surroundings."

I stare at him shocked before shaking my head. "Even with that neat little trick, you still get lost?"

He huffs at me and crosses his arms. "It just gives me the general idea of what's there. It's not perfect," he mumbles, looking away. Laughing, I put away my weapon.

"So, should we continue on our journey by ourselves or greet our fellow initiates?"

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed! I'm sorry that this update took so long and that's it short compared to the first chapter. I'll try to post a chapter each week but it might be longer than that because I have ACT testing this week and AP tests coming up that I should be studying for. But if you feel like I'm taking too long to update, don't be too shy to PM me and yell at me to get my ass in gear.**

 **To Bomberguy789: You don't know how happy it was to get this many questions so thank you. Ummm, where to start? First, the members of Team LARK don't have names specific to colors. Second, I'll probably go into detail about this later in the story but I'll give you the basics: Leo's sisters are the same age as most first years, Leo is going to be older than most of her class. She was placed in the class beneath her for reasons that I'll explain later. Third, there probably won't be a lot of changes to the canon. For your last question, you'll just have to wait and see ;P.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Leo's POV**

Rogue takes charge and starts to lead me through the thick foliage. Before long, we stumble across a clearing that held two students that looked to be having a small argument. The girl was wearing a black short kimono with red and white chrysanthemums on it while fanning herself with a white paper fan. The boy that she was yelling at was wearing dark brown cargo pants and a blue V-neck shirt. They quiet and two pairs of slanted eyes turn toward us as we move closer to them.

"Fancy meeting you here," Rogue greets cheerfully, waving at them. I raise an eyebrow at him and my ears pick up. He smiles sheepishly at me and explains quickly, "I ran into them before orientation."

"Need some more directions?" The raven asks him. I bristle at the bite in his words but my partner laughs.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Rogue replies, "Uh, not at the moment. Thanks for that by the way."

"It wasn't a problem, we were heading there anyway," the fox faunas dismisses, flicking her fan close and stowing it away in her sleeve.

Not liking how I was being ignored, I jump into the conversation. "I don't believe we have met. I'm Leo."

She gives me a good look up and down before taking my outstretched hand in a strong grip. "I'm Aiko."

"Yoshio," the boy grunts, not even looking at me as he studies the trees around us. Shifting the gun strap on his shoulder, he turns back to his companion. "We should get going."

Aiko tilts her head to look at the sky. "You just want to get back so can grab more food." Yoshio sends a glare at her, causing her to burst out laughing, before he tsks and walks away. Aiko struggles to control her laughter and hurries after her partner. Rogue and I have a silent conversation about whether to follow them or not that contained of a lot of shoulder shrugs and wiggling eyebrows.

"You guys think very loudly," Aiko complains, startling both me and the ginger standing next to me. She glances back at Yoshio and he must have done something because she then lets out a big sigh. "Are you guys coming? We don't have all day."

I exchange one last look with my partner before striding towards them. "Yeah, we're coming. Don't get your panties in a twist." Aiko's eyes widen slightly before snorting and turning away. Well if I was going to get sassed, then there was no way in hell I wasn't going to sass back.

While we walk, I make sure to walk behind the black-and-white haired duo. Even though they basically invited us to join them, Aiko only gave clipped responses to Rogue's questions while Yoshio completely ignored any attempt at conversation. Maybe they only brought us along to be decoys. My eyes narrow at the thought and my tail starts twitching behind me. Glancing towards the energetic red-head, I decide to keep my thoughts to myself for now.

"So what were you guys arguing about earlier?" I ask lazily, breaking the silence threatening to suffocate the group. Yoshio gives a little snort, startling me, and Aiko crosses her arms indigently.

"We were discussing the effectivity of landing strategies," Aiko huffs.

This time, Yoshio cracks a small smile. "She doesn't think my landing strategy counts as a landing strategy."

"It's not!" Aiko hisses back. "You just fall and hope that your Semblance takes care of the rest! And when you do land, it's sounds like a bomb went off! I'm surprised that Grimm didn't swarm us when-!"

She gets cut off midsentence by Yoshio suddenly stopping and putting an arm out. Barely avoiding running into him, Aiko opens her mouth again to complain but then shuts it when she sees what he's looking at. Confused, I stride up and peer over their shoulders. I led out a quiet growl when I see it.

Carved into the tree are four deep slash marks. The four of us descend into silence and my hand goes to my staff.

"Ursa's don't usually mark territory unless there's a nest close by," Rogue says nervously.

"Can you figure out where it is with your whistle thing?" I ask him.

Rubbing the back of his head, he answers hesitantly, "Maybe. But depending on how close the nest is, they might hear it and decide to investigate."

"Don't bother," Yoshio interrupts. He pulled down the goggles that were resting on his head and was pointing through the trees. "It's right there."

Aiko swears and I pull out my staff while I hear Rogue unsheathe his claws. My eyes never leaving where Yoshio was pointing too, I breathe out, "Anyway around them?"

"Not sure," he says, shrugging his shoulders. My ears twitch as a branch snaps behind me. Twirling around, I stare into red eyes.

"Shit." I step back into a more defensive stance as the Ursa pushes up onto its hind legs and lets out a thundering roar. "Shit!"

Sprinting forward, I slash its exposed neck, effectively silencing it, but the damage was already done. My head whips around as I try to take in the crowd of Ursa that was starting to surround us. Panic grips my chest but I force it down and try to come up with a plan. Glancing back at the others who started to form a loose circle, my gaze focuses on Yoshio and his giant-ass gun.

"Yoshio, get in the tree," I order. "You'll get a better advantage point there." It'll also be harder for the Grimm to get to him while he shoots. He gives me a quick nod and Rogue moves to help him. By this time, the Grimm were tired of waiting and moved to attack. Aiko and I react quickly to protect our partners.

Ursas were big and bulky, making them pack a powerful punch but it also caused them to be slower than most Grimm so I focused on moving as much as I could. Slash, duck, twirl, repeat. Soon gunshots also join the noise of battle as Rogue joins the fight and Yoshio gets situated in the tree.

I finish a Grimm just in time to see Aiko slam into a tree. Her katana flies out of her hand and lands a couple feet away. She has to quickly roll out of the way to avoid getting her head detached to her shoulders. Dodging an outstretched paw, I run to intercept the Grimm before it can attack her again. I swipe at its face, causing it to howl in pain. Before I can finish it off, a streak of black and white flashes by me and Aiko cleanly cuts off its head, her blade edge glowing red. We nod to each other and turn to fight back to back.

Together, we slash and stab our way to an overwhelmed looking Rogue. On our way, one Ursa manages to snag my leg before I'm able to blow it's brain out. Looking at it lying motionless on the grown, pelt starting to smoke, made me feel a little bit better but it did not help to stifle the pain.

"Anyone have a plan?" The red-head asks hopefully, sending a Grimm flying with a spin kick.

I growl in response as I finish my own Ursa only to have another one take its place. My leg is slowing me down and I am starting to feel the fatigue from fighting so long. From the corner of my eye, I see Aiko glance at where Yoshio was at and make some frantic hand gestures.

"Yoshio has a grenade," Aiko shouts, turning back to the fight. "It has a limited range but it'll be able to take out a bunch of them."

Catching on to what she was suggesting, I almost falter in my next strike. Recovering, I yell back, "So we need to get them all in one place then?"

"Great," Rogue drawls as Aiko nods. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Just drive them to the middle and let me deal with keeping them there," Aiko orders before dashing away.

I swear and Rogue growls. "Well that's fucking helpful."

Looking around, I notice that most of the Grimm were around Rogue and me while some were clawing at the tree Yoshio was hiding in. I couldn't see where the fox faunas ran to though. Plan forming, I ask Rogue, "Those boots help you boost your jumps, right?"

He nods and I tell him my plan as fast as I can. He looks a little bit uncertain but gives me a little nod before turning away. Switching my staff to a rifle, I blast the Grimm that were starting to close in. As I shoot, I see Rogue sprint to the center of the clearing. When an Ursa got too close, they were soon shot down by Yoshio. As soon as he got to the center, the bat faunas stopped. Taking one last shot, I crouch and cover my ears.

Rogue's piercing whistle rang through the clearing. Many of the Ursas stopped trying to attack and were trying to cover their ears while the ones closest to him roared in pain. When he finally ran out of air, he gave a smug smile and shouted, "Come and get me bitches!"

It worked. The Ursa that were intent on attacking me, turned around and charged at him. Using his distraction, I scurry up the closest tree as high as I could. Settling in, I start shooting at the straggling Grimm. In the middle of the pack of Ursa, Rogue was a furry of claws and Dust blasts with Yoshio helping him from being too overwhelmed. From my vantage point, I could see Aiko slicing-and-dicing near the center of the clearing too.

When most of the Grimm were surrounding Rogue, Aiko disengages and moves to the edge of the pack. Taking this as my cue, I switch back to my staff and press the emblem, shooting the blade across the clearing. It lodges itself in the bark of a tree a little lower than myself and I pull on the chain to make sure it was secure and tight. Looking back down, I give a thumbs-up to Rogue.

I hope this works.

Aiko sheaths her katana and puts her hands together so it looks like she's praying. Confused, I watch intensely as she slowly pulls her hands apart. To my surprise, green flames began to trail her hands and she continues to do some more complicated hand and arm movements. The flames react and began to grow and spread. Soon, a ring of fire surrounded the Grimm.

The Grimm nearest to the edge soon notice the flames rushed to get away from them. Seeing the confusion in the Ursa, Rogue uses the head of one as a springboard and shoots another dust round to grab the chain. I grit my teeth at the extra weight but force myself to hold it steady as he moves himself to be crouching on it. He slowly stands and wobbles for a second before sprinting down it to get to a safe distance. As soon as Rogue gets to the other side of the clearing, the flames grew even larger and there was starting to be a hint of blue in them.

I see Aiko also starting to back away and turn to Yoshio. He already repositioned himself to get a better angle to throw it. He glances at Aiko then at me. Meeting his green-blue eyes, I nod and he gives me a little nod back. He pulls his arm back and throws the grenade.

Boom! The explosion shook the ground and my injured leg catches as the tree I'm perched in also shakes. Little bursts of red fill my vision and I let out a shout in pain. When I recover, I see a bunch of Grimm corpses laying in the middle of the clearing. Any remaining ones were soon mowed down by Aiko and Yoshio. Relief fills me as I yank my staff's blade back before carefully making my way to the ground.

Limping over, I look over the others and am relieved to see the worse injury was a nasty cut Rogue was sporting on his forehead. Together we look at the carnage surrounding us. We all exchange glances and I can't help but crack a smile.

"Come on. Let's go get those Artifacts."

* * *

"Katoaka Yoshio. Rogelio Macias. Leo Sarraqa. Shinigami Aiko. Step Forward." Ozpin calls from on the stage as the screen behind him pulls our pictures up.

I feel all eyes on us as we walk up to the stage, causing me to shift uncomfortably. My chest tightens and I fight the urge to duck my head. An elbow nudges my side, jerking me from my thoughts. Rogue flashes me a small smile which I try to return.

"You four have retrieved the black castle pieces. From this day forth, you will work together as Team LARK," Ozpin continues as the board behind him starts rearranging our pictures. "You will be led by Leo Sarraqa."

I gap at him, surprised, while Rogue cheers and pats my back while Aiko and even Yoshio give me their own little encouraging gestures. Ignoring the growing tightness in my chest, I take a shaking breath before letting out a bark of laughter as I lead my team…mine…off the stage so the next group could step forward.

Well, this will definitely be interesting.

* * *

 **Sorry that this took so long. I was having a hard time trying to figure out how I wanted this to go. To be honest, I don't particularly like how this chapter turned out but I think I need to move on from it. Anyways, thanks everyone who favorited, followed, and/or reviewed! You guys are the best! If you can, please leave a review, those are my favorites. I'm also sort of looking for a beta reader for this story to help me work out some of the kinks in my writing before I post so if you are anyone you know might be interested in helping, please PM me. Well that's it for today. See ya soon (hopefully)!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Aiko's POV**

The next morning, I wake up before everyone else. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I get up and do my usual morning routine quietly. I knew Yoshio liked to sleep for as long as possible and was a master of getting ready in under ten minute and I didn't know my other teammates habits well enough so I just let them sleep. As I get ready, I let my thoughts wander to yesterday events.

It didn't go exactly as plan but I couldn't say that it went horribly. It will be interesting to say the least to see how this year turned out. If yesterday was any indication, we'll work well together during missions but I couldn't help but wonder how well we'll get along outside of fights. My eyes flicker to the sleeping form of my leader.

I knew Ozpin picked the best out of the four of us to lead. It wasn't like Yoshio or I ever really hung out or got along with people our age. Or people in general really. And despite how easily it seems Rogue gets along with others, I couldn't really see him taking charge. Leo was the logical choice but that didn't make the idea of taking orders from her all the time stop from grating on my nerves.

Sighing, I pick up my brush to start on my long hair. I knew that it wasn't really as much as her fault as it was my own personality's fault. I'm drawn from my musings by a loud yawn. Looking across the room, I see Rogue starting to get up and stretching.

"Would it kill you to put on a shirt?"

His head whips towards me before a grin stretches across his face. "Why? Don't like the view?" He teases as he leans back on his hands, probably to give me a better look at his six-pack. He quickly has to duck, letting out a yelp, to avoid being hit in the head by my hair brush. It clatters against the wall, effectively waking up our team leader.

Leo jumps up from her bed, dropping into a battle stance. She stares at us with wide eyes while her mind tries to figure out what happened. Groaning, she plops back down with an arm over her face. "Could you two be quieter?"

Rogue lets out a little cough, giving her a sheepish look. "Sorry."

I just shrug and go to retrieve my brush. "Doesn't matter anyways. It's almost time to get up."

"Doesn't mean you have to wake me up by throwing your stuff halfway across the room," Leo retorts. An eye pops out from under her arm to glare up at me angrily. "Why are you up so early?"

"I'm usually up by this time. Let's me get stuff done without anyone bothering me," I reply, aiming my last comment to the shirtless kickboxer. He lets out a hurt sound and sticks out his tongue out at me, which I just ignore and return to my bed.

Leo just shakes her head at us before picking up her Scroll and messing with it. "Well, please refrain from throwing things before everyone's awake." I mutter a quick fine and Rogue nods his head enthusiastically. Her golden eyes flicker to Yoshio's still sleeping form. "How is he still asleep?"

I give her a smirk. Yoshio was just the opposite of me. Where I couldn't stay asleep after the sun rose, it was rare to see him out of bed until at least nine without someone practically dragging him from under the covers.

"Should we wake him up?" Rogue asks, looking at Yoshio like he was a grenade that was about to blow. When he glanced at me, he took a few steps back with a fearful look on his face. "What's with that look?" My smirk grows and my eyes narrow at my target. "What are you doing?"

Without answering him, I pounce on the unsuspecting Yoshio. "Daily morning minute of human contact!"

I feel Yoshio jerk awake beneath me but he stills as he realizes who was hugging him. Leo and Rogue eyes burn into my back but I ignore them as I cling even tighter to my partner. Yoshio eyes flicker down to me, not even trying to hide how annoyed he was. "I thought you said you were going to stop doing this when we started school," he states monotonal.

Trying to fake innocence, I look up at him with big eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I think your making things up again."

"What the hell does _daily morning minute of human contact_ mean?" Rogue demands.

Humming, I reply, "Yoshio never really like interacting with other people. He even refused to touch anyone besides me for a couple years." I pause as Yoshio finally pushes me off. I let myself fall to the bed as he gets up and starts to get ready. "To make up for it, I designated certain times a day where I would hug him for at least a minute. Even though Yoshio has gotten better around other people, I still like to do just in case."

"It's still stupid."

I roll my eyes at him. "Then maybe you should start liking other people."

He tsk as he gathers up his stuff up for the bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Leo burry her face in her hands. Rogue just stares at us dumbfounded for a second before shrugging and heading out the door to go to the bathroom with Yoshio. A couple seconds later, Leo follows them, leaving me alone.

* * *

 **Rogue's POV**

After seeing the school uniforms, Leo had a minor freak-out. Apparently, growing up in Vacou means she wasn't used to layering things with sleeves or wearing long sleeves in general. Surprisingly, it was Yoshio that calmed her down, telling her she could leave the white dress shirt untuck and to ignore the vest and to grab the jacket just in case. Finally, we head out of the dorms to class. We all had our first class of the day together which was…

"Grimm studies with Professor Port," Leo reads from her Scroll.

"Sounds interesting enough," I comment, walking backwards with my arms behind my head.

Aiko snorts. "You'd be surprised. Port loves to hear himself talk."

My face scrunches up as I turn to walk normally again. Well, if it got too boring I could always use the class as a napping period. Something registers in my brain and I turn to her again. "Wait, how would you know what the Professor is like?"

Yoshio and Aiko exchange looks. "We didn't tell you guys?" Leo and I shake our heads. "Ozpin was the one that adopted us. We've been living at Beacon for the last eleven years."

"WHAT?!"

"Ozpin tried to send us to regular school for the first year but after that didn't work out, we just got homeschooled here. We used to sneak into classes all the time," Aiko informs us impassively but I notice a faint blush on her cheeks. Suddenly her attitude does a one-eighty. "Not like it's any of your business anyways," she snaps, turning her head away from us.

I exchange looks with Leo and she slightly shakes her head. Sighing, I make a note to ask some more questions later but let the subject drop for now as we walk through the doorway into the classroom. Looking around, I notice we were one of the first people there. We decide to sit in the second row and I end up sandwiched between Leo and Aiko with Yoshio on the other side of the fox faunas. A couple more people trickle in while there was a huge wave arriving a couple minutes before the bell. I jerk up when my eyes land on a familiar hooded girl.

Waving my hands, I call, "Hey, Red!"

Ruby's head whips in my direction and she starts heading over with her team closely following. "Hey, Rogue!" Her silver eyes widen at the sight of the white-haired duo sitting next to me and she gives them a friendly wave. "Hello Aiko and Yoshio!"

"Morning," Aiko greets while Yoshio just glances at her for a couple seconds.

"Oh, sorry. I don't think we've met," Ruby says, finally noticing our leader. "I'm Ruby."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Leo," responds the lion faunas kindly.

A familiar blond pops behind the red-haired girl and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "And I'm Yang! Ruby's big sister!"

"I'm Blake."

"Weiss."

I feel Leo stiffen next to me as the white-haired girl introduced herself but she gives them a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Her golden eyes focus back on the sisters. "Aren't you the guys that took down the Nevermore during Initiation?"

"Oh, you heard about that?" Ruby asks, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "It was really nothing."

"It was nothing?" I exclaim, gapping at the four girls. "It was amazing!" It wasn't every day that four first-years took down a full grown Nevermore.

Before Ruby could protest, Weiss grabs her arm and drags her to the seats in front of us. "Come on, class is about to start." Yang gives us a wave before heading down to her seat with her partner closely following.

"Well Weiss is nice," I quietly remark. I jump in surprise when Leo lets out a small growl. Her golden eyes were narrowed at the pale girl and her ears and tail were kept on twitching. "Uh- are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replies tersely. _Yeah, and I'm a rabbit_. I open my mouth to question her some more but quickly close it as a plump man with a large mustache walks out to the middle of the room. Irritated, I rest my chin on my crossed arms, barely listening as the teacher drones on.

I'm half asleep when something nudges my side. Opening one of my eyes, a piece of paper flitters in front of my face. Shifting in my seat, I snatch up the note and lazily open it.

 _What's up with Leo and Schnee?_

I turn my head to look at the girl in question. The brunette calmed down considerably since the start of class but her shoulders were still tense and her eyes kept shifting to Weiss.

 _Idk. Probably smelling the snobbiness oozing off her._ I slide the note back to the fox faunas. Aiko snorts when she reads my response causing me to smile a little bit. A few second passes before the paper is in front of me again.

 _While I imagine it's not hard to smell Schnee's snobbiness, I don't think that's what's setting her off._ While I stare at the neat writing, Port starts to finish.

"The moral of this story: a true huntsman must be honorable, a true huntsman must be dependable, a true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and _wise_." _That_ was what he was droning on about? Could have fooled me. "So, who among you believe yourself to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do sir!" Weiss exclaims, jumping out of her seat. Besides me, Leo scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Well then, let's find out. Step forward and face your opponent," Port states dramatically, gesturing to a shaking cage. Red eyes peer out of the bars and my ears pick up on growling. I instinctively sink into my seat and turn nervously to Aiko.

"He's not really going to let a Grimm out in here, is he?"

"He is," Yoshio answers, sounding bored.

Aiko awkwardly pats my shoulder. "Don't worry, he does this every year. If Schnee can't handle it, he'll step in."

Not really finding a lot of comfort in her words, I turn back to the front of the room. Weiss already moved down to stand in front of the cage and was getting ready. I couldn't help admire her stance as she held out her foil in front of her. The rest of Team RWBY was cheering for her as Port cut off the lock and a Boarbatusk bursts from the cage.

The Boarbatusk charges right away, causing Weiss to have to dodge. "Didn't expect that, did you?" The professor chuckles. The huntress-in-training ignored him and charged at the Grimm only to get her weapon stuck in its tusks and it soon disarmed her. I wince in sympathy as it throws her across the room. Weiss quickly had to roll out of the way to avoid getting crush by the Boarbatusk.

She sprints to retrieve her weapon. "Go for its belly, it has no armor there!" Ruby yells.

"Stop telling me what to do!" The young heiress snaps back. My eyes widen at her remark while Leo lets out a small growl. Below us, Ruby quiets and sinks in her chair. When the Boarbatusk charges again, Weiss uses a glyph to flip the Grimm on its back and stabs it through the neck.

"Bravo! It appears we are _indeed_ in the presence of a true huntress in training," Port congratulates. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assign readings _and_ stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

I watch as the young heiress storms out of the classroom with Ruby hot on her heals. I hope that she would be okay. Weiss seemed…difficult…to work with.

"I'm sure they'll be okay," Aiko comments, scaring the hell out of me.

"Okay, how in the world do you do that?" I demand, clutching my chest in surprise.

She just tilts her head, lilac eyes gleaming up at me wickedly. "Do what?"

I sputter for a couple seconds causing her to raise an eyebrow at me. Finally, I let out a defeated sigh. "Nothing. Never mind."

She shrugs and walks past me. Yoshio gives me what I think is supposed to be an apologetic look. "What's next?" She asks Leo.

"You and I got class with Professor Peach while the boys got History with Professor Oobleck," Leo responds, reading off her Scroll. Aiko's smile changes until it looks like its forced and Yoshio stiffens next to her. Apparently, I'm not the only one that notice their behavior. "Don't worry," Leo assures them, "We'll meet back up for lunch at the mess hall."

"Sounds good to me." I give her a thumbs up and a grin. I was happy that her mood changed back to normal now that Weiss was gone. She was starting to get scary. Grabbing Yoshio, I start walking out of the classroom. "Now, my good man, lead us to the History room!"

He tsks and gives me a look but doesn't shove me off him. The girls' laughter follows us down the hall.

* * *

 **Sorry, I haven't updated in a while. My grandmother died suddenly and my grandfather just got diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so yeah, that has been the last month for me plus finishing school. But it's now summer, which means two things: one, I now have way more time to actually sit down and write without having to give up sleep. Two, my dad's trying to make me get a job to get me out of the house and I'm also trying to write a non-fanfiction story too, so I'm still probably going to be updating pretty slow.**

 **Okay, I think that's everything for that word dump. Now time for another.**

 **If you love this piece, hate it, or just want to say hi, please leave a review. They are my most favorite things! Thanks to everyone who already has, I hope I hear more from you guys soon! Another thing is that I'm still looking for a beta-reader for this story, so if you know anyone or are interested please PM. That would help me a lot.**

 **Now we're actually done. Good night!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Leo's POV**

Yawning, I stretch and nearly let out a moan as I feel my back pop. Peach was energetic enough but there was only so much I could hear about basic survival skills before my eyelids started to droop. Speaking of being tired, I turn to my napping teammate and give her shoulders a small shake.

Violet eyes blink open and lazily look around the room. "Class done?" Aiko yawns.

"Uh-huh so get up so we can head to lunch," I reply. "I'm starving!"

Aiko's face hardens and she looks away. "You could've just left me if you were so hungry. I would have woken up eventually."

My eyebrows rise in shock as a stare at my teammate as she gets up and strides out of the classroom. Forcing myself to move, I sprint to catch up.

"You know if you keep on going off on nothing, it's going to be really hard to be teammates," I snap at her when I reach her.

Aiko lowers her head and her ears flick back. "Sorry," she grits out barely loud enough for me to hear. Sighing, I rub the back of my neck, trying to think of another way to approach the problem.

"I don't really want you to blow up on me like Schnee did to Ruby earlier. That would probably end really badly," I let out a small chuckle. Aiko gives me sidelong glance. "If you have a problem with me, tell me now. If I can fix it, I'll fix it, and if I can't, well, we'll work on a compromise together then."

"The problem with us is different than the problem between Schnee and Rose."

I blink at her shocked. Before I'm able to ask what the hell she meant, she continues. "Schnee doesn't respect Rose. She thinks she's better than her. She might be a little bit jealous of her. But that is not what is happening between you and me. I respect you and I think you respect me. It's just that neither of us trusts each other."

"That's not-!"

"Yes, it is," she interrupts coldly. She stops walking and faces me head on, stone purple boring into me. "I know what you were thinking during initiation. You thought Yoshio and I were tricking you guys when we invited you long. If I'm wrong, now would be a good time to tell me."

I wanted to tell her she was wrong. That it wasn't what I thought. But I couldn't. I did think she was just stringing us along. Heat rises to my cheeks and I cast my gaze down to the floor. "That's what I thought.

"But I guess that makes us even. I don't trust you either. I don't trust a lot of people, so the only reason your special is because you're our team leader and I would like to trust my leader to be able to make the right choices."

"But you don't think I can," I reply blandly, blood running cold. Anxiety was starting to creep up on me, threatening to drown me. Maybe she was right. I didn't know the first thing about being a good leader. I don't know what I would do when things get tough. I like to think I would make the right choices but in the end, but maybe I'm kidding myself.

Aiko sighs breaking me out of my spiraling thoughts. "I don't think you trust _yourself_ and that's what's worrying me. During Initiation, you did a good job coming up with a plan."

"It wasn't that good of a plan," I mumble, cheeks heating up.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't the _best_ plan," the fox chuckles. "You did kind of leave Rogue mostly by himself. But it was still more of a plan than what we came up with."

The other girl gives me a small smile that I try to give back. Shifting uncomfortably, I start rubbing my bandages under my sleeves. "So what do we do now?"

"How about you try to trust yourself to lead us and try to trust Yoshio and I to have the team's backs as much as our own?"

Smiling for real now, I nod. "That's sound doable. But it would also be nice if _you_ try to be a little more open and to not snap at us randomly."

Aiko smile turns into a sharp grin and she reaches out to grab my outstretched hand. "Sounds like a deal."

Laughing, we start making our way to the cafeteria again. We walk in silence for awhile before Aiko breaks it.

"So," she drawls, giving me a sly grin that makes my stomach drop. _Please don't ask me about Schnee, please don't ask me about Schnee._ "Yang, huh?" I gape at her, surprised. "Not my type but I guess I could see where she could be attractive."

My surprise quickly turns into embarrassment as she makes a gesture towards her chest. Groaning, I cover my face. "How did you know?"

She gives me a wink. "Guess I'm intuitive."

"A little too intuitive if you ask me," I grumble. She gives me another grin before stalking ahead.

"We better hurry if we want to get there before Yoshio eats all of the food."


	6. Chapter 6

**Yoshio's POV**

My team was _interesting_. Living and depending for so long on each other meant that Aiko and I knew each other like the back of our hands. We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses (and they were a lot of them). Leo and Rogue were unknown factors. Well, not completely, I guess.

Rogue was easier to read than Leo in some ways. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He was outgoing and would make himself the punchline of joke at the drop of a hat if it meant he could get someone to smile and laugh. The red head had confidence in his abilities. He was nice and happy but sometimes he would stare off with a frown on his face and a hard look in his eyes. Sometimes his open stance would turn into something more closed off, hunched over and small like he was bracing himself for a hit. On the other hand, Leo's personalities bled into each other.

Unlike Rogue, she never looked completely happy. She was pleasant to people and it was clear when she introduced us to her sisters that she completely adored them. But the dark-skinned girl always had a little bit of an edge. Leo was never still, always fidgeting around with nervous energy. She was always tense even when she was lounging on her bed like she was ready to fight you if you said the word. It did not help that Aiko could tell that she didn't trust us from the beginning and acted accordingly.

Aiko lashed out at the other faunas in anger in the forest which Leo reflected. But when Ozpin assigned Leo as leader, she kept on lashing out at her, this time mostly in worry. So, I was completely surprised when Aiko and Leo came back from their first shared class actually being nice to each other. Aiko later told me that they had it out and they agreed to both try to get their shit together.

The lion fauna's anxiousness calmed down a little bit after that but it was still evident at times. Just like now.

"Should I stick with our uniforms or should I wear my regular outfit? Or should I mix it up completely and wear something new? I do have that cute little skirt…. No that would be too much…."

There's more mumbling and a thump that sounds like shoes being half way across the room. Aiko snorts and flips to another page in her textbook. The bathroom door clicks open. Cracking an eye open, I see Rogue sticking his head to look at Leo confusedly.

"What's the big fuss for? It's just supposed to be a small get-together to help everyone get to know each other. No one's dressing up for it."

Leo groans in frustration and leans further into the closet. Frustrated that no one was letting me sleep, I reach out to nudge Aiko in the shin. She raises an eyebrow but doesn't look up from her book. Annoyed, I kick her harder.

"Ow!"

She finally looks up. Glaring but still looking at me. Hey, if I wasn't getting any sleep, she wasn't going to get any studying done. But curiosity was starting to set in, so I nod at our stressed-out leader. Her eyes flicker to her for a second before a grin slowly spreads across her face. _Oh shit, that's not her nice grin._

Aiko closes her text book and moves it and her notes to the table before jumping on the end of my bed. I let out a sound of annoyance but she just hits my feet and leans towards Leo.

"Does this have anything to with a certain blonde?"

Oh. That makes sense. Rogue pokes his head out again, still confused. "Who? Jaune?"

"No," Aiko says sweetly. "I'm talking about Ya-"

"Shut up, shut up!"

There's suddenly a lot more weight on my bed that disappears in a second. I blink blankly up at the ceiling before slowly leaning up and peaking over the edge of the bed. Leo was straddling Aiko, stopping her from saying anything else by covering her mouth with her hand. Aiko's eyes were glittering with laughter as she stared up at the feline faunas. Leo was staring down at her with wide eyes and there was a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. Rogue takes one look at the scene before ducking back inside the bathroom and closing the door. Coward.

Leo hesitantly looks over her shoulder at me, nervousness shining in her eyes. Deciding to give her a little break, I tell her, "I already know. Don't really care about which gender you're attracted to if that's what's making you nervous."

"You told him?!" She accuses, glaring down at Aiko. My sister just rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"No, he figured it out by himself."

The brunette studies her carefully for a second before letting her go and carefully getting up. "Ok, good. Just don't make it a habit of almost outing me to other people."

Surprise flickers across Aiko's face before she carefully makes it blank. I could tell she didn't really think about what she was doing, just wanting to tease the other girl, and was ashamed about what she almost did. Good. She needs to learn a little bit.

"Sorry," she starts softly, sitting up a bit. "I guess I thought Rogue knew too or you would be okay with him knowing. I should have asked first."

"Yeah, you should've," Leo snaps. Her golden eyes soften and she lets out a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's fine. No harm, no foul. It's just kind of hard having people know. My family reacted fine but it still makes me nervous having other people know."

Watching her shift around nervously with a lost look on her face made my heart break a little. Aiko used to have the same face when we were young, right after the horrible happened. Without really thinking about it, I reach out and rest a hand on Leo's arm.

"Me and Aiko will be with you no matter what. It's not like we're ones to judge. And if anyone gives you a hard time, we'll be there to make sure they learn a lesson."

Surprise flashes across her face before she gives me a small smile. She stands like that for a couple seconds than takes a few steps back, tacking in a deep breath. "Yeah, okay. Thanks. That still doesn't help me with what to wear, though."

"Wear your regular outfit, you're more comfortable like that," Aiko pipes up from where she was sitting still on the floor. She was doing her best to sound bored and flippant but her tone was too soft to fool me. Apparently, it doesn't fool Leo either because she shoots the other girl a huge smile before rushing back into the closet.

Warmth rises in my chest as I look down at the fox faunas and I feel the corners of my lips twitch up. When she turns back to me, Aiko gives me a mock glare and pushes my leg. "Don't give me that look, Yosh. I can still beat you up."

Snorting, I push back. "Yeah, right."

"Well since I didn't hear any screams or yells, I'm going to assume everyone is still alive," Rogue announces, finally walking back into the room. He also changed out of school clothes into his usual jeans and shirt. Walking over to his bed, he pulls on his jacket before turning to us with his arms spread. "How do I look?"

"Like a noob." Rogue sticks his tongue out at Aiko which she just rolls her eyes at. I sigh and drop back down to my bed, waiting for another fight to occur, but Leo bursts out of the closet at the right moment.

"Ready!"

Reluctantly, I get off the bed and start walking to the door. "Let's go then."


	7. Chapter 7

**Aiko's POV**

The 'party' went well. To her immense pleasure, Leo was able to strike up a conversation with Yang and they both seemed to be having fun by the end of the night. Rogue flittered around the room the entire time; trying to flirt with Weiss with Jaune to starting a small discussion about books with Pyrrha and Blake to getting into a very excited conversation with Ruby and Nora about…something. I was pulled into it too, but I was lost by the time they started talking about zombies. Even Yoshio joined in the festivities a little bit. He accidently got into an eating contest with Nora (which we had to call it off before someone got sick) shortly after arriving before retreating to a quiet corner with Ren with the energetic girl visiting often.

By the time everyone decided to call it a night, we were all on comfortable terms with each other. Well, most of us. Leo was still avoiding Schnee like the plague and the heiress didn't seem to be particularly fond of either her or me and mostly ignored us.

Which explains why we're sitting next to Teams RWBY and JNPR during Glynda's class while watching Jaune get his ass handed to him by Winchester.

Something was off. I know Jaune scored well enough on his entrance exams (thank you Yoshio and technology) and he had an abundance of aura but he couldn't even hold up in a practice fight. His swings were all over the place and his aura kept on flickering around uncertain, like it didn't know what to do. It was like he wasn't even trying to use it!

I get jerked out of my thoughts by Rogue wincing next to me. Forcing myself to focus back on the fight, I see that Winchester had thrown Jaune to the ground again. By the looks of how Jaune was holding himself, I would bet that a knee or fist was involved. As Winchester raises his mace for one more blow, Glynda ends the match.

"Students, as you can see Mr. Arc's aura has dropped into the red. In a Tournament style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle and the official may call the match." She lets out a sigh and turns toward Jaune. "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now, please refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack or when its better to move to a more… defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Boewolf, now would we?"

Ouch. Glynda was holding most of the bite out of her words but I still wouldn't want to switch places with Jaune. The blond folds in on himself, sad and I think…guilty?

Winchester walks off the stage and Glynda calls the attention of the class again. "Remember everyone! The Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale." The bell cuts her off and everyone rushes to get up and out of the door.

Rogue jumps off the bench and runs up to the stage. He offers a hand to Jaune but he just ignores it and gets up on his own. A frown etches itself on my face. Yeah, something was definitely wrong. Gathering my stuff together, I race to catch up to someone that might know something.

"Hey, is something going on with Jaune?" I ask when I finally reach a certain red head.

Forest green eyes focus on me, confusion filling them as Pyrrha pauses. "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

I shrug. "He's been acting depressed lately. It's unusual for him. He's usually upbeat. I was wondering if anything happened."

"Yes, I've been noticing that too," Pyrrha sighs, hugging her elbows. "The only thing I can think of is Cardin's behavior towards him, but he won't talk about it." That was true. Jaune seemed to have made himself the main target to the bigger boy's bullying.

"Have you asked him about it?"

"No."

"I would push at it a little bit." I'm cut off from saying anything else on the subject by Glynda walking up to us.

"Pardon my interruption, can I talk to Ms. Shinigami for a second please?" Pyrrha nods and gives her a small smile before taking her leave. A chill runs up my spine as I watch her walk away. I slowly turn to face the intimidating blonde. Her aura was blazing angerly and how she was glowering at me made her jade eyes look like they're made of steel.

"Aiko, you wouldn't happen to know where Yoshio would be, would you?"

Ah, that made sense. _Poor Yoshio_. I debate with myself for a couple seconds before deciding I rather liked the ability to breathe. Giving the professor a smile, I tell her, "I believe that he is in a corner in the back of the class."

"And _why_ would he be there?"

"Probably so he could take a nap without being bothered too much," I continue in my fake chipper tone. Her aura darkens as the frown she was sporting deepens. Mumbling, she turns away and starts walking to the most likely place Yoshio was napping. A realization dawns on me and I couldn't stop from letting out a snort.

I force myself not to tense up as Glynda freezes in her tracks and turns back to me. "Care to share what you find so funny, Ms. Shinigami?" She growls out at me, crossing her arms and shifting her weight.

My fake smile spreads into a real grin. "Nothing really," I start in a sing-song voice. "I just thought you said you weren't going to treat Yoshio and I differently from the rest of your students, Glynda. And if I remember correctly, Blake also doesn't participate that much in class."

I jump back as her crop hits the side of my arm. "That's Professor Goodwitch to you!" She lets out a sigh as I rub my now sore arm. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't hit you that hard. And I will deal with Ms. Belladonna in due time too. It just so happens that I find your brother's behavior to be a more pressing issue right now."

"Of course," I say in mock seriousness. Goodwitch gives me a look like she doesn't know why she still puts up with me then walks away again.

"Remember that Ozpin wants some 'family time' this weekend if you and Yoshio could take some time out of your busy schedules."

Snorting at the dryness in her voice, I call back, "I think we can make something work."

"Splendid."


End file.
